Charles Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, will be one of four authors to speak on May 20 at the second annual Books on Wine Festival, coordinated by the Napa Valley Wine Library Association.

The Wednesday event, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Helena Library, is intended to celebrate contributions to the wine literary field from the 2008 publishing year. The presentations by the authors will be followed by book signings from 8:15 to 9 p.m.

Bamforth will discuss his book "Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer," published in March 2008 by Cambridge University Press. In this book, he weighs the merits of both types of beverages.

"I do not seek to decry wine. Rather, I aim to demonstrate why brewers can hold their heads high in the knowledge that their liquid is every ounce the equal of wines by any yardstick you choose to nominate," writes Bamforth.

The 224-page book includes social commentary on beer and wine, and comparisons of their histories, production techniques, types and styles, healthfulness, and future outlooks.

Bamforth, who has written several books about beer, began his work in the brewing industry in 1978 and joined the UC Davis faculty in 1999. Before coming to UC Davis, he served as deputy director-general of Brewing Research International and research manager and quality assurance manager of Bass Brewers.

He serves as a special professor in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham, England. He also is a fellow of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, a fellow of the Institute of Biology and a fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.

Other books to be discussed include “Ghost Hunter's Guide to California's Wine Country,” by Jeff Dwyer, “Napa Wine: A History From Mission Days to Present, 2nd Edition,” by Charles L. Sullivan and “Napa Behind the Bottle,” by Bill Tucker.